Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador

This was my first experience with a Room 101 cigar and it happens to be their most recent release. It came wrapped in black paper with Japanese writing, reminding me of a scroll from ancient Japan. I unwrap the cigar and find a beautiful dark rich cigar. The veins are barely visible. There is not a strong smell to the cigar, just a light tobacco and wood. The band is pretty cool, heavy script in red on a black background.

First puffs– Very strong spice and pepper taste right away. There is also a strong wood undertone to it. Not that much smoke but the draw is nice.

First third– The pepper is still sitting in the fore front but I am tasting another spice that’s sweeter. I almost think I taste cherry when the flavor settles. A little bit of coffee enters the mix as well. The smoke production has increased and draw is better now.

Second third– Much smoother now, the cigar has settled nicely. The wood flavors have come to the front now. I still get a cherry flavor but its kind of dull as though burnt. The burnt flavor stands out here, this doesn’t insinuate bad though.

Final third– Mostly the same here. Pepper has reemerged along with the wood flavor remaining and I get a hint of nut.

Overall a solid cigar. The presentation was the highlight on this one and provided the initial wow factor. I would probably smoke this again but wouldn’t throw it into my rotation of regulars. Definitely try this cigar, but don’t expect to be amazed, a decent smoke.